We just did it for our trip in March and there’s really not much to know. We went through DVC Rental store and filled out an inquiry giving them the dates and what we were interested in, and they came back and told us what they had available and how much it would be. We stayed at the Poly and totally recommend it- it was perfect!
Post by alleinesein on Apr 21, 2019 18:37:18 GMT -5
If your dates overlap with the WDW marathon weekend, goOd luck getting a room. Those dates were booked at the 11 month window this past Feb and very few people cancel.
Be flexible and willing to stay in something other than a studio.
If your dates overlap with the WDW marathon weekend, goOd luck getting a room. Those dates were booked at the 11 month window this past Feb and very few people cancel.
Be flexible and willing to stay in something other than a studio.
I'm flexible on times, looking for 5 days when it's not crazy busy in Jan/Feb.
What site is best for doing this? I've seen several. Can you book dining plans if you do it this way?
ETA: I stayed at Poly last time so want to try different this time. I'm thinking GF, Bay Lake or the new villas at WL
If your dates overlap with the WDW marathon weekend, goOd luck getting a room. Those dates were booked at the 11 month window this past Feb and very few people cancel.
Be flexible and willing to stay in something other than a studio.
I'm flexible on times, looking for 5 days when it's not crazy busy in Jan/Feb.
What site is best for doing this? I've seen several. Can you book dining plans if you do it this way?
ETA: I stayed at Poly last time so want to try different this time. I'm thinking GF, Bay Lake or the new villas at WL
BLT has studios, 1 bed and 2 bed available from Jan 13 through the end of the month. So if you are fine with staying there, you can request it now with one of the rental companies and they can find an owner with points who can book it for you.
Do you have to stay close to the MK or would you be interested in staying at the newest DVC resort. The Riviera DVC resort is scheduled for a December opening and it is open for DVC members to book. It will have gondola access to the Studios and EPCOT.
If your dates overlap with the WDW marathon weekend, goOd luck getting a room. Those dates were booked at the 11 month window this past Feb and very few people cancel.
Be flexible and willing to stay in something other than a studio.
I'm flexible on times, looking for 5 days when it's not crazy busy in Jan/Feb.
What site is best for doing this? I've seen several. Can you book dining plans if you do it this way?
ETA: I stayed at Poly last time so want to try different this time. I'm thinking GF, Bay Lake or the new villas at WL
We rented DVC points for our first trip to Disney and stayed at the Poly. From what I can figure, we saved about $1,500 on the room. There are lots of pros/cons about renting DVC points. Lots of lists like that come up on google. Basically the pros are you can save a lot of money and stay in bigger rooms. The cons are that there isn't much of a cancellation policy unless you buy the insurance. Also, housekeeping doesn't come to DVC rooms every day. The pros outweighed the cons for us and we had an awesome experience. We use the DVC Rental Store (our agent, Lucy, was amazing. She answered questions very fast and she was thorough and patient. <lucy@dvcrentalstore.com>).
There are two booking windows with DVC rental points. The first is between 11-7 months from the reservation. The second is less than 7 months, where prices are lower. You might be able to save some money if you wait until the 7 month window opens and book right away.
Also, I would be sure to check out crowd calendars for Jan/Feb. Some times are relatively quiet (if there even is a quiet time in Disney anymore) and then there can be insanely busy days in Jan/Feb.
Post by covergirl82 on Apr 22, 2019 11:36:50 GMT -5
Like jaycee said, there are two booking windows with DVC. If you wait until 7 months, you just need to be more flexible on resorts and rooms sizes.
We rented DVC at Poly (a studio) in early Dec 2018, and it was great. We got on a waitlist at about 14 months out (because we really wanted to stay at Poly), so we paid more for the points, but we paid about the same as we had in late Oct 2016 for a similar room at CBR (for the same number of nights).
I don’t understand what any of this means someone should explain it to me.
Disney Vacation Club ( DVC) is Disney's timeshare system. Members/owners "own" a certain number of points that they can use each year.
At 11 months prior to when you want to travel, you can book your "home" resort. At 7 month's prior to travel, you can book any* of the DVC resorts that have rooms available.
If an owner can't use their points that year, they can rent them out. There are companies that facilitate the rentals. This allows non DVC members to stay in these rooms if there are any available. This can get you a room at a Disney Deluxe resort for around the cost of a moderate resort.
However: Usually bookings are non refundable and not able to switch resorts due to the owner's point system. If you want to go this route you need to make your plans for 11 months prior to when you wish to go. If you need to cancel or want to change resorts, you likely won't get your money back. DVC rooms book fast, esp at the 7 month mark. You do not get daily housekeeping. As they are designed to be condos not hotel rooms: you get trash removal every day, but don't get new towels until day 4. They do not make the beds, etc until day 7.
You will not get free dining like you sometimes can with a Disney package. You can add on the dining plan, but you will pay full price. You can get the magical express, but the rental company needs to contact the owner to get that put on your reservation.
I absolutely do not recommend doing this for a first trip, despite the massive savings you can get on the rooms. That is my opinion only. I just feel like for a first trip, it's much easier to let a Disney Travel agent ( and make sure they specialize in Disney only ) handle all of it.
*DVC is trying to stem the resale contract busniess and currently have said that resale owners who buy past a certain date will not be able to use their points at Riveria or the next resort. Also, anyone who buys resale at Riveria will only be able to use their points at Riveria. This is more of an issue for owners, but definitely will affect the rental business when it happens.
Post by curbsideprophet on Apr 23, 2019 17:41:56 GMT -5
You don’t really need a travel agent. As long as you do your research I don’t think there is anything wrong with doing DVC for a first trip, especially depending on the size of room you want.
We had not been in years and rented points for our first trip back with kids and grandparents.
If you are looking for a one or two bedroom it is definitely worth looking into. You get a full kitchen and a washer/dryer. These were definite pluses for us.